Brad Fittler's confession about wife a huge hint about desire to return as NSW Origin coach

With Michael Maguire departing the NSW Blues and joining Brisbane on a three-year deal, Brad Fittler's name has been thrown up as a potential replacement. It would mark a staggering development just 12 months after Fittler stepped down from the State of Origin role, but wouldn't be a complete shock.

The NSW Rugby League Board actually offered Fittler another year as coach before he declined and paved the way for Maguire to take over in 2024. Considering the board wanted him to stay on this year, it wouldn't be completely out of the question for them to approach him about coming back.

But whether Fittler wants to come back is another question entirely. The 52-year-old revealed last year that part of the reason he withdrew from contention for the role was because it was reduced from a full-time gig to a three-month part-time contract.

Fittler would have had to take a significant pay cut to remain in the job, but once it became a three-month gig he lost interest and stepped down. The Roosters and Panthers legend also revealed the toll the job took on his family due to the intense scrutiny and backlash he received.

Brad Fittler's telling comments about family

Fittler won three of his first four series in charge of the Blues, but lost in back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023 when Billy Slater became Queensland coach. Fittler's selections and game-plan were constant sources of criticism, and he spilled the beans after last year's series about how it was starting to affect his family.

"I've got my methods and strategies [to deal with criticism] in place for this job. I've worked it out, but for the first time, all this talk has affected my partner and my kids," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Fittler has since jumped back into coaching and will lead the Prime Minster's XIII against PNG team later this month. Channel 9 colleague Andrew Johns declared recently that Fittler would be an ideal candidate to take over from Mal Meninga when he departs as Kangaroos coach.

That would suggest Fittler has expressed interest in the role, but it seems unlikely he would want to put his family through more pressure and scrutiny in either of the NSW or Kangaroos jobs. The PM's XIII role is far more low key, with much less focus on the result compared to State of Origin or Test matches.

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Search begins for NSW State of Origin coach for 2025

The NSWRL board will now begin their hunt for a new coach, with the likes of Johns, Laurie Daley, Paul McGregor, Ben Hornby and Dean Young all flagged as potential candidates. Daley famously broke the Queensland streak of eight series wins on the trot, but previously declared he'd only consider a return if he was approached.

Last year, Paul Gallen said he had no desire to take the top job, while Daley warned against offering the role to a full-time NRL coach. "(A club coach) can do it, but you put yourself at risk," he said.

"If you go into an Origin series and your club team isn't travelling well, and for that period when you're away your team struggles, it can put a lot of pressure on the coach. Throw into the mix (that) you might lose State of Origin, and you know the impact it has on coaches - you could be copping from NSW and your club."

Johns, McGregor, Buderus and Matt King have all been assistant coaches for NSW in recent years, and don't have any current ties to NRL clubs. Hornby, Young and Trent Barrett would also seemingly be top candidates due their experience as assistants and head coaches in recent times.